"We've certainly drawn the conclusion that the fire started following the failure of the private power pole," he told ABC Radio this morning.

"What happened was, the wiring on the consumer's mains got insulation damage as the pole fell over and that caused the short circuit on the wires and the sparks and hot metal from that short circuit was the source of ignition.

Mr Bowron said a timber expert would be at the Granite Road property tomorrow to see what caused the pole to collapse in the first place.

"Certainly it didn't look to be in very good condition," he said.

Power poles were the source of the 2007 Toodyay fire and a blaze in Chidlow in 2012.

Mr Bowron said last year a pamphlet had been distributed to residents with private power poles on their land advising how they should be looked after.

He said poles more than 25 years old should be replaced.

Mr Bowron said there was now talk about whether Western Power should take responsibility for checking the condition of private poles.

"That's a policy issue so in the end it will be the Government's and community's decision," he said.

"The system at the moment puts the responsibility at the land owners, in Victoria for example after the Black Saturday fires I understand it is now the responsibility of the network operators to inspect private power poles.

"There are concerns who should pay for that work, there's also concerns on who has legal liabilities."

Fennell Court, Stoneville. Picture: Stewart AllenSource:News Limited

Residents return home

ONE thousand permits have been handed to Hills residents keen to make their way back home after Sunday's fire.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services yesterday said it would trial a new system of issuing permits to residents with homes within the "warm zone" so they could start the process of cleaning up their properties.

Permits were being issued after yesterday's 10am community meeting finished, allowing residents into the zone from 1pm.

This morning DFES spokesman Russel Jones said so far 1000 permits had been issued and the system had been running smoothly.

He also said authorities would be checking in on residents who stayed to defend their homes and are stuck in the "hot zone" which is still being checked for spot fires.

He said staple food items would be delivered to these residents, who have been in their houses alone since Sunday and have not left because otherwise they cannot return.

Stoneville resident Shaun. Picture: Stewart AllenSource:News Limited

Power remains out for about 450 homes in the region this morning, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services says.

DFES said residents in the ``zone where homes have been lost'' would be prevented from returning to the area today because it was ``hazardous due to damaged infrastructure, downed powerlines and the risk of falling tree limbs''.

``People outside this zone are allowed to start returning to their homes, however they are required to register for a permit and access will be restricted,'' DFES added in a statement.

The agency said a watch and act alert remained in place for the eastern part of the Parkerville, Stoneville and Mount Helena.

``Firefighters will continue to strengthen containment lines and ensure the area is 100 per cent blacked out throughout,'' DFES said.

Counselling services have been made available to the dozens of people whose homes were razed in the fire.

Fire authorities have confirmed the blaze was most likely sparked by a fallen power pole on private property.

FIRE victims have slowly started to have their first look at the devastation caused by Sunday's inferno that destroyed 52 homes.

Authorities say the Perth Hills blaze was probably sparked by a power pole on private land.

Overnight, firefighters have managed to control the blaze despite the possibility of flare-ups caused by gusty winds. However, some residents were to return to their homes to see the ruins first hand.

While some residents returned under supervision, others in the "hot zone" were still waiting to be allowed back in to see what was left of their homes.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services say the hot zone is still dangerous because of damaged infrastructure, downed powerlines and the risk of falling tree limbs.

Another community meeting is planned for 11am tomorrow at Brown Park in Swan View.

An escorted tour of the fire zone in Stoneville this afternoon revealed blackened streets and houses reduced to rubble.

On some streets, one side has house after house destroyed, while homes opposite are untouched.

In Fennell Court, father-of-two Shaun was the only one to stay and defend his home, fighting off the blaze with a sledgehammer, buckets and wheelie bins.

He said his wife and two daughters evacuated with one of their dogs, but when the second dog would not get in the car, Shaun stayed behind.

He said if he had not stayed to defend, he would no longer have a house.

The loss of homes and property in the Perth Hills region can be seen from the air after a massive fire swept through the regi...Source:News Limited

Shaun said he covered himself in a motorcycle jacket and wet jeans before he took action.

"As it came up, flames were 20m high and I just hid in the kitchen, got down low in the kitchen, and let it go over the house," he said.

"I already filled up all the buckets and wheelie bins with water and then just started bucketing it down, anything burning with the sledgehammer to move it because once it gets in the eaves, you've lost a house."

He recalled the frightening moments a wall of fire went over his house and the flames roared.

"You couldn't breathe, it took all of the oxygen out of the air," he said.

"It was just a roar, it went straight over the top.

"It was a hard decision whether to stay or go with the girls and the missus, but it was sort of made for me because of the other dog.

"The last few nights have been lonely because there's been absolutely no one else around."

After talking to Shaun, a possum emerged at the front of his house with singed fur and burnt, blistered paws.

The injured animal was caught by Department of Fire and Emergency Services staff and taken back to the operations centre in Parkerville. It was then taken in by the Kanyana Wildlife Centre.

Earlier today, DFES Superintendent Gary Baxter told ABC radio the fire was most likely due to a power pole.

Cousins Place, Stoneville. Picture: Stewart AllenSource:News Limited

"All our indicators and our investigation team have led us to believe that,'' Mr Baxter said.

The damage bill has already been placed at more than $13 million and is almost certain to rise.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) confirmed that insurers had already received almost 300 claims.

Campbell Fuller, the ICA's general manager of communications, said insurance companies were pouring every available resource into trying to help affected residents.

Insurance assessors were already aiming to get access to the fire grounds today, to try to speed up claims for residents who lost homes.

A disaster recovery specialist from the council was also on the way to WA to assist in the aftermath.

The ICA immediately declared a catastrophe to escalate the insurance industry's response.

This afternoon, DFES trialled a new permit system allowing residents who have property in what is dubbed the "warm zone" to go and check their properties.

The permits were valid after 1pm until the area is given the all clear.

Permit holders have to hold ID and vehicle registration. A separate permit is required for each vehicle.

Those given permits are limited to their property only or risk it being taken away, and they will also will have to drive at 20kph.

"We dealt with over 200 fires at the weekend, five or six of those were major incidents for us, including this one here.

"The damage was awful and I feel very sorry for those who lost their homes, but it could have been a lot worse.

"There were over 400 residential dwellings in the front of the fire, the intensity of the fire was such that it was unassailable in the front, firefighters had to fight the flanks."

DFES says the fire has been "contained, not completely controlled''.

"There are few hot spots to the flank of the fire. We expect it to be under control by mid-afternoon. The weather is now on our side,'' the spokesman said.

One firefighter is being treated for a knee injury and DFES said their personnel had suffered "no significant injuries'', despite working long shifts through the night and battling exhaustion to continue their efforts to contain the blaze.

Firefighter is treated after covering the bushfire in the Perth Hills. Picture: Justin Benson-CooperSource:News Limited

The fire has burnt more than 650ha.

More than 350 personnel from various departments have been involved in trying to fight the flames, some of which were up to 20m high.

Dozens of families were evacuated to two makeshift centres overnight Sunday - many not knowing if their homes still stood.

More than 400 residents affected by the fire have registered at the welfare evacuation centre at Brown Park in Swan View both on Sunday and Monday.

Department for Child Protection and Family Support director-general Terry Murphy said affected residents had been given access to all the support they need.

"People have spent time at the centre where they have been provided with meals, clothing and personal items, personal support such as counselling and psychology services, and access to shower facilities and other services they may require," he said.

"Twenty people were accommodated at the evacuation centre overnight."

Aftrrmath of Sunday's bushfire in the Shire of Mundaring. Houses destroyed in Matthews Way, Stoneville.Source:News Limited

Heroic stories emerge

Heroic stories have started to emerge from the fire zone, with one man saving four houses by himself. When PerthNow found him he was still trying to extinguish burning stumps with a bucket of water.